Double holliday
by ScottyBgood
Summary: What do you do when, one time only, New years with your new girlfriend falls on the same day as another special day? Find out what Jade does as she attempts to navigate her own insecurities with the help of her helpful ex. Oneshot.


I own nothing.

:}

Jade was shifting, moving, unable to stand still. She'd been in her room, getting ready, but now her eyes were locked on her mirror. In the dark, scary recesses of her memory she couldn't, for the life of her, remember a time when she was this nervous. "So, why so freaked?" Beck asked.

Cold blue eyes glared at the small screen on her tablet where her ex currently resided, saved from her wrath by the simple fact that, since they'd broken up, neither felt it would be right to have him invade her room. Instead, the most desired boy at Hollywood Arts, as well as one of maybe two confidants Jade trusted, had been drafted to help her through these moments of crises, almost always by video chat. The other confidant, Cat, was currently off on some errand Beck had suggested, most likely to get her safely away from the near crazy goth. Jade was currently unpredictable, not the sort of thing one wants to deal with when that person is also potently dangerous.

"September twenty second." Jade huffed, as if, somehow, that was all the answer he'd need.

"Okay, we're almost at the end of the year, so that was, like, months ago." The Canadian pointed out. "That is, unless you've started planning ahead again, cause, lets be honest, doomsday hording was one of your more endearing quirks."

"Not hording nearly as much these days." Jade snapped. It was true that she no longer allowed those old, ingrained survival habits to interfere with her life nearly as much as they once did. Things like hording food, just in case, because there had been times when she'd went hungry, and the people taking care of her back then didn't seem to care. That experience, one of a dozen she'd endured, had eroded her trust in people, driving her to hoard what she thought she might need, just to feel safe. Then, once her dad could afford to take care of her and her mother again, she found such habits, such attitudes, very difficult to break. Throughout her time with Beck, she'd still been horded things. Food, weapons, and a certainty that the world was gonna end. The last of those was because things had been going right for her or a while, and that wasn't natural. Jade horded because she never knew if she'd be without, and that scared her to the core.

Of course, her now ex knew about that, and other habits she'd developed in order to survive her childhood. In fact, Beck had worked to correct many of her obsessive behaviors. However, he hadn't bothered with her hoarding, letting the girl have that one act of defiance against the cruel world. Tori, on the other hand, had worked at the source of the obsession, along with a good therapist she'd insisted Jade see, to help the girl feel secure enough to reduce the fears, and thus the hoarding.

It had been three months since Jade had started dating Tori. Three months of healing. That was partly because, before the singer would go on as much as a single date, she'd demanded Jade see a therapist, among other things. Jade would have to face her many personal demons, as well as the past that birthed them, just to be allowed to see if maybe she and Tori could be more then friends. It wasn't something Jade had ever looked forward too. It was the challenge that finally gave her the strength to start that process.

Jade also had plenty of reasons to take the risks. See, Tori just ticked too many boxes for the pale girl to pass on dating the otherwise too perky and perfect girl. Too many of the things Jade felt she needed to be accepted in the world. Tori was obviously attractive, something Jade tried to deny until that one drunken game of spin the bottle, where she barely kept herself from trying for second while kissing the Latina more passionately then she'd ever kissed anyone. Then there was her social position. The singer was popular, despite what Jade had done to erode that. Tori also was talented, and at a school like theirs, that was a key ingredient to being the "It" couple. And since the Latina had all these qualities, and more, Jade had decided to pursue the singer, take the risk and do what it took, winning a date on September twenty second.

"So, why the freakout?" Beck tried again. "Is it because I'm dating again?"

"I set you up." Jade reminded the boy. Her voice was calmer, distracted from her own insecurities. She may have been stronger, but three months wasn't nearly enough time to be secure in herself, something that made her hate Rex all the more. That damned puppet was mean, but often secure in his own wooden skin.

"Yea, though I doubt locking a girl in my trailer and not letting us out until we'd had, functionally, a fist date is a bit more then setting me up." The Canadian noted. "Maybe kidnapping, but with good intents?"

"If you remembered, then why'd you ask if your dating her was freaking me out?" The goth snapped, enjoying the distraction. Her mind never forgot why she was so nervous, but this, it let her focus, for a moment, on anything else. Jade liked making other people uncomfortable. She knew how valuable having any edge could be when dealing with people. Plus, amusing her inner dragon gave her some relief from her internal struggles, even if they'd been fading, bit by bit, over the years.

"I kinda try to block that part of my life out." The boy said. "That, and any time I'm locked in my trailer with no escape." he offered his winning smile, a sign he was joking.

"Yea, I think we went to the beach once, and something like that happened." Jade teased.

"And you sweated." Beck reminded the girl.

"Never…." Jade started to growl. "You know what? Since I've been dating Tori, I've sweated a a few times, so okay, you can mention it. No sense in denying what is now so true."

"When exactly did she make you sweat?" Beck asked, for a moment getting lost in the discussion. It felt like being friends with a normal person, a title he'd never use for his pale ex. "Wait, that day you asked her out, and she told you she needed to think about it, right?"

"That, a few makeout sessions, and roaming hands that almost touch special places." Jade counted off. "So, getting caught in a hot box is hardly the most embarrassing time I sweated."

"My my, how our girl has grown." The handsome boy observed, careful to keep the joking just out of mockery. "So, why exactly is this date making you so nervous? I mean, sure, it's new years eve, and you two are spending your first one together, with her family, at her place. But, and remember I know your family, so having your celebration away from your relatives should be a relief, right." He gave a knowing smile. "And I'll admit, an armed police officer as chaperon is sure to dampen the romantic mood, but that may be for the best. You know, to reduce sweating."

"Yea, her armed father, who hasn't forgiven me for the years I acted like the psychotic nutjob I was. How could that make me nervous?" Jade groaned, her sarcasm barely making a dent in her nerves. "But if you really wanna know, do the math."

"Math?" Beck chuckled. "Jade, what does math have to do with…." His eyes were locked on his phone, just below the viewing screen. "Hold on, it says here that September twenty second is one hundred days before the new year, so..." He smiled a bright happy smile. "The hundred day kiss..." His smile softened, just for a moment, before morphing into a leer. "The hundred day kiss, and you're gonna be at her parents house."

"And Trina's been hinting that their parents won't be a problem." Jade informed her ex. "That, once the clock strikes midnight, we can sneak off someplace for that hundred day kiss, and make it as special as we want. Even told me that have a room down next to the garage, down a level from the kitchen, that they use as an exercise room. Said that if I head down those stairs for the kiss, we'd be almost impossible to hear from upstairs. It's like she wants me to..."

"Nail her sister?" Beck asked. "Jade, maybe she wants to thank you for setting her up. I mean, I personally wouldn't have though of her with this Goomer guy, but you did, and it seems to be working out just fine."

"He's big and dumb, she's controlling and wants to be the man, so while he's pretty enough for her, she's not really ready for that adult of a relationship." Jade sighed. "This relationship, it just made sense. She gets what she wants, without the worry of him being, er, a person, I guess."

"So Trina wants revenge?" Beck joked.

"Not likely, cause from what Sam said, I'm pretty sure they've already reached the whole sex part of the relationship." Jade shrugged, adjusting her hair. "Not sure why, but it doesn't mater, cause it seems that Trina managed that with him without any incidents, so… Girl has to have some understanding of men, right?"

"Or she just molested a man child." Beck speculated. "Either way, it sounds like they're getting along great, so why would Trina want to cause you any drama?"

"I think she likes the idea of me and Tori." Jade said. "Scary, right?"

Beck said nothing as Jade stared at her reflection, thinking for a moment about the implications of that night might mean. "Do my tits look grope-able?" She asked, not really thinking about it.

"Not if she wants to get that hand back." Beck said, and the pale girl could hear the smile in his voice.

"And whats that supposed to mean?" Jade growled, once again focused on the video chat.

"Just my ex has herself a reputation, and if Tori remembers THAT, she'll keep her hands PG." The Canadian explained. "So, I get why you're freaking now, but isn't that what you want? A relationship, a real, adult one? I mean, she has tits too..." His smile froze. "Not that I'd noticed, but she's a girl, and I understand those are kinda standard issue. Two per girl, sizes may vary."

"Not mad about you noticing she has girl parts." Jade groaned. "I just… No, I don't wanna grope her, or at least not yet. But this is the hundred day kiss, and I want..." Blue eyes stared hard into the mirror. "I want romance, to feel like I'm being swooned, taken off my feet. Tori's such a girly girl, she hardly understands the pressure I've been under to move the relationship along. I want her to make a move. I want her to want to grope me, even if we both know that'd be a bad idea. I want her thinking dirty, rated R thoughts about me. Thinking, maybe risking, just to feel something."

"So you want her to want to grope, but not to, just as long as you know she wants to." Beck tried to follow the logic. He also managed To avoid saying anything too dangerous, despite what he was thinking.

"Lets just say, this time, I'd like my date to make the first move." Jade teased.

"Some men like being dragged into the bedroom and tossed on the bed." Beck said, and Jade imagined him sticking his tongue out at her in a very un-Beck-like way.

"I wasn't that forward." Jade protested, but at least she was smiling now.

"Only because you never wanted more then to make out." Beck stated. "Yea, eventually we did it, and it took us over a year to get there. And-And I get it now, why you were so hesitant to take that plunge, to screw around. We were sexually compatible, but your heart, it never really belonged to me. Just your fears, and enough connection for you to think you loved me."

"And we're heading down memory lane for a reason?" Jade asked, her smile gone. "Not that I don't love being reminded of the things I did to try to prove to..."

"You were trying to prove it to yourself." Beck cut her off. "I never asked. I just went along, cause I'm a dude, and you're hot."

"Thanks, I guess." Jade said, feeling smaller now.

"And I cared for you. Care for you." The handsome boy continued, and the world seem to get heavy, just for that moment. "Still, to answer your question, your already thinking about taking that step. Sex with Tori. And I get it, I get why you'd be freaking." He paused, almost daring her to speak. "Think about it, you're attracted to her. Emotionally into her. So naturally, you so want this to work. And I get it. I do. I understand how your life's gone so far. I get that so few things have actually happened the way you'd imagined them to, or worked out for you the way you wanted. Only, right now, you have more then one dream that can come true, and they aren't even mutually exclusive. Think about this, you and Tori, that could be a quick school time fling, or it could be the love of your life. Either way, this is the time you stop pretending and start being you."

"I'm not ashamed of liking girls." Jade defended herself. "I've never been ashamed of liking who I liked. I just..."

"Hard enough accepting that you like someone." Beck said, saving her from analyzing herself at this late date. There was time enough to analyze later, after the party. "If who you like isn't part of the majority, who people assume you should like, then it gets twice as hard. Think of Andre. Boy never once admitted that the reason he never lasted with any girls was he just wasn't into that thin, model type girl. Now that he's dating Karen, he's happy. I mean, not that many guys are into girl who outweigh them, but he's happy, cause he's accepted that's what he's into."

"Your point?" Jade asked.

"You're gay." Beck said, point blank, direct and to the point. "Even in a place as accepting as Hollywood Arts, being gay isn't the norm. Maybe twenty percent of the student body is gay, and they still hide it more then flaunt it. You'd expect big signs proclaiming their allegiance to Stonewall and PFLAG and the like, but instead, they hide it, here, where the faculty would act to stop bullying based on orientation. They'd warn bigots, the students who'd be offended by out, proud gay students that so much more of Hollywood is gay then they'd think."

Jade looked at him, her face neutral. The boy continued. "In this environment, you'd be okay to be open about your sexuality. Instead, you hid it, blaming everyone and every possible excuse." He ticked a finger. "You blamed your dad, saying he'd hate it if his daughter was queer. Then he goes and approves of Tori, the first person you've ever dated that he approved of. Worse, you find out that many of his clients are gay, from even before he got his J.D. and joined your step mother's law firm. You remember, from back when he gave unofficial advice from the mouth of a paralegal who had trouble keeping a job because, and lord knows I have trouble believing this, he cared too much about the clients."

"He sure didn't make much in the beginning." Jade griped, ignoring how such a cold, distant man could care so much about anything. She'd been floored when she found out how passionate he was about social justice.

"Paralegals don't." Beck reminded the girl. "He only got his J.D. by attending school part time, working as he studied, because he felt he had to fight his own battles. Heck, he never made that much, not even as a lawyer. He just married Becky, and she has money."

"And a law degree, which she uses to try and help those less fortunate then she is." Jade dropped those words like shed heard them ten times too often. Jade had to adjust to so much about her dad, like his cold passions for helping those less fortunate then himself, or how that helped him attract the attention of her now stepmother, Becky. Even now, now that they had money, she found it hard to believe the cold exterior covered a social justice warrior who had, among other things, represented dozens of people seeking amnesty in this country.

"You also didn't want your step mother thinking you were a freak, as if the way you dressed," (Coughing 'Goth'), "or acted, helped out your case..." He softly swallowed, nervous about the next part. "And then there was me, how you used me to seem normal. Popular. I mean the list goes on." Beck sighed, watching his screen for any sign he'd gone too far. His ex didn't do emotional scars well, and they were dancing all over a host of hers.. "Jade, we know we accept you, and we love you for who you are. Tori is way into you, this you, the broken, yet defiant girl who finally accepted she likes girls. I mean, when you asked her out, she said yes..."

"I didn't ask, and she didn't say anything." Jade admitted. "Back in September, I just kinda showed up, told her we were going out, and we had our first fight."

"Glad you won." Beck said, and meant it. Jade knew he so rarely approved of the things she did, her many little schemes.

"It was more of a compromise." Jade said. "She agreed to a rain check if I'd do a few things, like see a therapist, and stop being so horrible to her. The twenty second was just when she agreed I'd kept my part of the bargain."

"So you'd asked her when?" Beck questioned.

"I asked around the third." Jade answered, even as she once again considered the necklace she' chosen. It held a promise ring Beck had once given her. He later insisted she keep it even after they'd broken up, as a promise to be her friend for the rest of their lives. 'Does it send the wrong message…?' She thought, all while she listened to her ex's response.

"Under three weeks? Not bad." The boy chuckled. He knew most of the story, having had this discussion with Jade multiple times. This time, they were diving deeper into her past, a sign that she was almost ready to accept that she and Tori were together. "So, now, I say your ready. Your boobs are grope-able, and many a boy will be lamenting the bear trap they believe is hidden in your bra."

"Cat would say something about there being enough room." Jade sighed. "Man, whats wrong with me, wanting to hear a comment like that?"

"It just shows that sometimes, even the best of us feels like making a dumb joke." Beck guessed. "See you at the party."

"Wait, party?" Jade asked. "This was supposed to be just us, family..." But it was too late, the screen had gone blank.

A couple of hours later, Jade found herself at the front door of the Vega home, not sure she wanted to enter. 'What party?' She asked herself once again. 'Not a lot of cars, and those could be for neighbors, so...'

The door opened abruptly, before she'd built up the courage to knock, revealing Trina. In that brief glimpse, Jade saw that the older girl had managed to look both slutty and presentable. "You're here. Good." A hand reached out and pulled the goth into the Vega home. "Mom and dad are waiting. Go to the back, and don't worry about the others. They're not gonna be here long." Trina pushed the goth straight through the home, not giving the other girl a chance to resist.

Out back Jade saw the Vega's small private yard filled with people, maybe twenty total, including Beck and Cindy, Goomer, Cat and Robbie, as well as both Vega parents, who were talking to Tori about something. Others Jade didn't know filled out the numbers. One person she knew wasn't there was Andre, who was off with his girlfriend at his grandmothers place.

"Jade, so glad you could make it." David Vega said, smiling an unusually warm smile at the girl. "Please, come, talk. We're gonna shift to the area near the pool in a moment, but felt this was a better place to gather. More room there, but his was, shall we say, just a better place?"

"Harder to see from the street." Tori translated. "New years eve, and dad wanted to surprise you." Tori gave a nervous smile, letting Jade know this wasn't going to be as fun as she'd hoped it would be. "Like he surprised me."

"People, can I have your attention please?" Trina called out, drawing all eyes to her. While Jade had drifted towards the Vega patriarch, Trina had grabbed a good spot to be seen from. "You may or may not know this, but today, in addition to being New Years, marks one hundred days since my sister and her freak of a girlfriend started dating. That makes this their hundred day kiss, which happens at midnight, the exact same time the new year begins." Trina gave a second. "In celebration, mom and dad have agreed to let them have the same rules that Goomer and I do."

"Gieux needs a chaperon to use the bathroom." Jade griped, but kept her voice down.

"That means they're now responsible for whatever choices they make." Trina continued. "Jade, this represents a great deal of trust in you. Don't break my little sisters heart, okay?"

Tori leaned in to her girl. "Not what I expected either." She whispered in the pale ear. "No rules, nothing to keep us from doing whatever, as long as we respect others, and don't embarrass the family. Kinda scary, right?" Tori breathed the last part, sending dangerous shock-waves down the pale girls body. Vibrations that woke parts of her she'd meant to keep under control.

Jade called out. "Did you have to make an announcement like that?" Her body was shaking with rage, embarrassment, and as much as she wouldn't admit it, desire.

"Dad was gonna make a toast, but I beat him to it." Trina called back. "Think of it as a preemptive welcome to the family. Just, a word of warning, that implies that you ARE part of the family, at least as long as you and Tori are dating, so you do have to follow family rules."

"What happened to no rules?" Jade groaned.

"They're easy enough." Holly said, smiling. "I'll tell you the basics, though I'm sure you have some like that at home. Then, later, we'll email you the full rules list, as well as your chore chart."

"She's kidding about the chores." David said. "No one expects you to do chores. Would be nice, but not expected. Take Gieux there. He tries to help out. Runs errands, carries things, whatever he's mentally capable of doing. But he also may be the fist person I've ever met who'll get smarted with brain damage, so we don't ask him to do much. You can help out when you're around, as much as you feel like doing. I'm sure you'll wanna do what you can." His smile hinted that she'd be doing a lot more then maybe even the Vega girls did.

"Don't worry too much about it." Holly echoed, and Jade just knew she'd been trapped into something.

"So, you ready to head over to the pool, enjoy the rest of the party?" Tori asked.

"Sure." Jade agreed. "Um, how long they been planning this?"

"Not sure. See, usually they go someplace else." Tori told her as they moved to the new party location. The outside was too cold to swim, even in warm Southern California, but the pool gave more space, as well as a nice ambiance for the celebration. "We have a translucent pool cover. Almost clear. With the pool lights on, it gives off an interesting glow, and we can walk on the squishy ground if we need more space, so it's a win-win, right?" The singer gave a hopeful, almost proud smile, showing a great approval of her dad's choice of pool covers.

"You're easily amused." Jade said, smiling at her girlfriends dorkiness.

"And yes, Jade, your boobs look very grope-able tonight." Tori replied. "As does that ass. Damn, now that the rules are off, I'm gonna have a hard time not touching." She gave a sweet, innocent smile. "That is, if I can find a way to grab and keep my hands."

"How much did Beck tell you, exactly?" Jade asked, eyes narrowed at the Canadian dancing with his date.

"He didn't tell me a thing." Tori protested, a mock innocence that even Cat could see through. "He just recorded your conversation and played outtakes from it. Don't worry, that time you were in just your underwear, he blacked that out."

"I was never just in my underwear." Jade growled. Tori smiled, leaned in and stole a kiss. "I mean, not on camera, at least."

"You realize, I'm gonna do what you want, be just a bit more aggressive now, right?" Tori asked.

"I guess." Jade felt oddly less nervous, despite the very embarrassing announcement that had recently happened. "Guess I'm looking forward to midnight."

"Whole new year." Tori agreed. "Time to take this relationship seriously."

After a couple of dances, Jade detached from her date and wandered over to where Beck was taking a break from his. "So, how're you and Sherry doing?" She asked.

"I'd never have picked her myself?" He said. "She's so forward, kinda makes me think she's desperate."

"She's just a diva in training." Jade said. "She goes for what she wants, and doesn't let society shame her. A different kind of difficult, and a challenge. Dre couldn't make it work with her, cause she was so into kissing."

"We're making it work, cause I constantly ask her about her interests." Beck said. "Have to drag it out of her, but I do, and I found out so much. Then, we use that to get her to do things beyond PDA's."

Jade smiled. "Thanks." She eyed Beck's date, watching the girl watch her. "For walking me through this. Not what I expected, but I'm being accepted, and I think I can work with that."

"You remember when I moved into the trailer?" Beck asked. "How excited I was. Then I got nervous, cause for the first time, I had to be the adult. I needed to be responsible for so much of my life, even if my parents were still paying all the bills. It was a scary time, and you were the one to help me realize what a challenge that was. Tonight, it's your turn. Time to act like an adult, be responsible, and learn from it."

"Happy new year." Jade finished, turning to head back to her date.

"Happy new year to you too." Beck called after her. "This is a new beginning, a new stage in your life." his smile faded as Sherry moved in. "Hay, babe. You enjoying the party?" She kissed him in response, also anticipating the new year.

:}

Just a new years even story with a twist. I loved the mixing of dates. It kinda makes the whole affair seem more, I don't know, intense for someone who has no idea what's gonna happen.

A lot of things spilled out in this story, new takes on old things. Hope they didn't detracts from the story too much.


End file.
